Excellent contemporary indie-folk EP that makes for a compelling listen.
Americana artist “Alan Getto” is a musician and songwriter based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This 5 track EP release has a gentle and atmospheric sound that is a mix of indie and folk music matched with some compelling lyric narratives and subject matter.
The Stand-out tracks are ‘Ain’t it Strange’ with a lovely riff that sounds like it’s played on an electronic keyboard that emulates a banjo sound. There’s an annoying whistling sound accompanying this keyboard however that should have been muted. Getto’s vocals are wonderful though. ‘Pulled Apart’ is straight out of the Richard Hawley songwriting school but without the pyrotechnics that Hawley can bring to his songs. A gentle waltz with some synth background soundscape popping up now and again during the song.
The opening track ‘Problems of the World’ is a song about “the duality of life that explores how equally heartbreaking and beautiful it can be at the same time”. It’s a great song but again it has a few synth textures and electronic drums that either work well if you don’t mind your americana acoustic palette being creatively tested or falls for that very reason if you do. ‘Baby, Be My Baby’ starts as a quite gentle, simple lyric romantic song and picks up on the chorus with some heavy-handed instrumentation that actually works despite the change of sound.
The last track ‘Since I’m Here Now’ is a similar odd fish. It’s a lovely song with an audio conversation between 2 people taking place between the vocals. It works and adds to the mystique and ambience of the overall album production.
Getto says “he is focused on creating authentic art” and with this EP and the blending of traditional singer-songwriter traits with some contemporary indie folk influences, he’s succeeded – it’s a smashing contemporary EP that lovers of americana and indie music will certainly enjoy.
